On May 22, 2024, at 19:30 (UTC+8), the fifth module of the eighth semester of the ANSO BIDI School (Belt and Road International Innovation and Development Institute Network) was successfully held online. Professor Philippe De Maeyer from Ghent University in Belgium delivered a lecture titled “Representing Spatial Data by Maps.”
Philippe De Maeyer is a distinguished Senior Professor Emeritus in Cartography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) at Ghent University (UGent) and has been serving as the Executive Secretary of the Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences (RAOS) since 2021. He holds a Master’s degree in Geography, a PhD in Geology, and several postgraduate certificates, including one in Marine Geology and another in Business Economics. His research interests include geospatial data acquisition, land use/land cover modeling, flood risk computation, map symbolization, 3D/4D GIS for world heritage, and the history of cartography.
Professor Philippe De Maeyer during the course
During the lecture, Professor De Maeyer discussed how spatial data can be represented through maps. He provided detailed insights into the definition and processing of map data, the types of data and their application in statistical analysis, map creation, and symbolization. At the end of the session, participants expressed their gratitude to Professor De Maeyer for his enlightening presentation.